Sports log: Oscar Pistorius vomits during murder trial

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Hunched over, vomiting into a bucket by his feet and retching loudly, Oscar Pistorius was vividly reminded at his murder trial Monday in Pretoria of the gruesome injuries he inflicted on his girlfriend when a pathologist described how the Olympian fatally shot her multiple times with bullets designed to cause maximum damage. The testimony by Prof. Gert Saayman, who performed the autopsy on Reeva Steenkamp’s body, was so graphic that it was not broadcast or reported live on social media by journalists under an order from Judge Thokozile Masipa. The pathologist said that the head shot from Pistorius’s 9 mm pistol was probably almost instantly fatal.

PRO BASKETBALL

Report: Jackson likely to join Knicks

According to an ESPN.com report, Phil Jackson will likely accept the Knicks’ offer to join their front office. A source said it’s the Knicks’ “sense” that Jackson will join the team. Jackson’s official answer is expected in the next couple of days. The sides are still working on the details of the offer. One thing is clear, the 11-time NBA champion coach will make basketball decisions . . . Stephen Curry said his strained right quadriceps is slowly getting better and he is planning to start for the Warriors against the Mavericks on Tuesday night. The All-Star point guard injured his quad against Boston Wednesday . . . Anthony Bennett, whom the Cavaliers selected first overall in 2013, will miss at least three weeks with a strained left knee. Bennett underwent an MRI Sunday that showed a strain to his left patellar tendon . . . The NBA Development League has added an 18th team. It will be based in White Plains, N.Y., and will be owned and operated by the Knicks . . . A Minnesota lawmaker apologized for his tweet about NBA players that some saw as racist. Rep. Pat Garofalo
tweeted Sunday night: ‘‘Let’s be honest, 70% of teams in NBA could fold tomorrow + nobody would notice a difference w/ possible exception of increase in streetcrime.’’

NHL

Ex-Bruins forward Murphy, 80, dies

Former Bruins winger Ron Murphy died Thursday. He was 80. Murphy scored 205 goals and won two Stanley Cups in his career, which also included stints with the Blackhawks, Red Wings, and Rangers. He may be most remembered for being on the receiving end of a slash to the head from Montreal’s Bernie Geoffrion. A member of the Rangers at the time, Murphy was knocked out, broke his jaw, and was concussed because of the blow . . . NHL general managers spent the first day of their three-day meetings in Boca Raton, Fla., discussing overtime and shootouts, expanded video reviews, and goalie interference.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

South Carolina player backs coach

South Carolina freshman Sindarius Thornwell said those complaining about Frank Martin’s sideline behavior don’t understand the coach. He added that the players wouldn’t have anyone else leading the Gamecocks. Thornwell said Martin’s cursing is not demeaning, but how he demonstrates passion . . . Kansas center Joel Embiid is expected to miss the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Embiid was in Los Angeles to get a second opinion on his ailing lower back, and the school said the original diagnosis of a stress fracture was confirmed by a specialist . . . Brown women’s basketball coach Jean Burr announced her retirement. Burr has coached the Bears for the past 26 years and is the winningest coach in program history with 324 wins . . . Haverhill native and Indiana forward Noah Vonleh was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year by coaches and media while Michigan’s Nik Stauskas, who played at St. Mark’s, earned Player of the Year honors.

MISCELLANY

US women suffer second straight loss

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The US women’s soccer team is having a memorable trip to the Algarve Cup — for all the wrong reasons. The Americans lost consecutive games for the first time in 13 years and conceded five goals in a match for the first time in the team’s 29-year history, finishing last in their group following a 5-3 defeat to Denmark in Albufeira, Portugal. The US team had not lost by more than two goals since a 2-0 defeat to Norway in the Americans’ 2008 Olympic opener . . . The Professional Referee Organization, which manages game officials for Major League Soccer, filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board in New York against the union it locked out, accusing the referees of attempting to intimidate replacements . . . The University of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association have formed a partnership that will bring all three state high school football championship games to Cowell Stadium in November . . .
Defending champions Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova were upset in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif. Sharapova lost to qualifier Camila Giorgi, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5. Nadal followed with a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5) loss to Alexandr Dolgopolov
.